# 2023–24 Derby County F.C. season

The 2023–24 season was the 140th season in the history of Derby County and their second consecutive season in League One. In addition to the league, the club also competed in the FA Cup, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy.
After a slow start to the season which saw the pre-season promotion favourites eight points off of the promotion places with a third of the season gone, Derby's form improved and a mid-season run of 14 wins from 19 games between late-October and mid-February took them into second place and the automatic promotion spots, a position they would not relinquish. A 2–0 home win over already-relegated Carlisle United on the final day of the season confirmed the club's first automatic promotion in 28 years and saw them return to the Football League Championship at the second attempt. Along the way, the team set club records for points in a season (92, eclipsing the 85 achieved in 2013–14) and most away wins (13, eclipising the twelve away wins in 2004-05 and 2006-07), and equalled the club record for most wins in a single league campaign (28, matching that of the 1955–56 season).

## Current squad

    As of 20 March 2024
| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Previous club | Date signed | Fee | Contract end |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||
| 1 | Joe Wildsmith | GK | (1995-12-28) 28 December 1995 (age 29) | Sheffield Wednesday | 2 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 13 | Scott Loach | GK | (1988-05-27) 27 May 1988 (age 36) | Chesterfield | 13 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 31 | Josh Vickers | GK | (1995-12-01) 1 December 1995 (age 29) | Rotherham United | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| Defenders |||||||||
| 2 | Kane Wilson | RB | (2000-03-11) 11 March 2000 (age 25) | Bristol City | 11 July 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 3 | Craig Forsyth | LB | (1989-02-24) 24 February 1989 (age 36) | Watford | 1 July 2013 | £150,000 | 30 June 2024 |
| 5 | Sonny Bradley | CB | (1991-09-13) 13 September 1991 (age 33) | Luton Town | 7 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 6 | Eiran Cashin | CB | (2001-11-09) 9 November 2001 (age 23) | Academy | 1 January 2022 | — | 30 June 2027 |
| 20 | Callum Elder | LB | (1995-01-27) 27 January 1995 (age 30) | Hull City | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 24 | Ryan Nyambe | RB | (1997-12-04) 4 December 1997 (age 27) | Wigan Athletic | 19 September 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 34 | Jake Rooney | CB | (2003-08-22) 22 August 2003 (age 21) | Burnley | 8 August 2022 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 35 | Curtis Nelson | CB | (1993-05-21) 21 May 1993 (age 31) | Blackpool | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 41 | Daniel Cox | CB | (2006-01-30) 30 January 2006 (age 19) | Academy | 1 July 2022 | — | 30 June 2024 |
| 46 | Adisa Osayande | CB | | Academy | 13 July 2023 | — | 30 June 2025 |
| Midfielders |||||||||
| 4 | Conor Hourihane | CM | (1991-02-02) 2 February 1991 (age 34) | Aston Villa | 6 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 8 | Max Bird | DM | (2000-09-18) 18 September 2000 (age 24) | Bristol City | 1 February 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 12 | Korey Smith | CM | (1991-01-31) 31 January 1991 (age 34) | Swansea City | 16 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 16 | Liam Thompson | DM | (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 (age 22) | Academy | 1 January 2022 | — | 30 June 2024 |
| 17 | Louie Sibley | CM | (2001-09-13) 13 September 2001 (age 23) | Academy | 1 January 2020 | — | 30 June 2024 |
| 22 | Tyrese Fornah | CM | (1999-09-11) 11 September 1999 (age 25) | Nottingham Forest | 25 August 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 23 | Joe Ward | RM | (1995-08-22) 22 August 1995 (age 29) | Peterborough United | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 26 | Darren Robinson | DM | (2004-12-29) 29 December 2004 (age 20) | Dungannon Swifts | 1 July 2021 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 32 | Ebou Adams | CM | (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 (age 29) | Cardiff City | 31 January 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 36 | Ben Radcliffe | DM | (2004-07-11) 11 July 2004 (age 20) | Burton Albion | 7 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 38 | Cruz Allen | CM | (2007-02-25) 25 February 2007 (age 18) | Academy | 1 July 2023 | — | 30 June 2026 |
| 42 | Adebayo Fapetu | CM | (2005-01-18) 18 January 2005 (age 20) | Arsenal | 1 July 2021 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| Forwards |||||||||
| 7 | Tom Barkhuizen | LW | (1993-07-04) 4 July 1993 (age 31) | Preston North End | 2 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 9 | James Collins | CF | (1990-12-01) 1 December 1990 (age 34) | Cardiff City | 13 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 10 | Martyn Waghorn | CF | (1990-01-23) 23 January 1990 (age 35) | Coventry City | 7 August 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 11 | Nathaniel Mendez-Laing | RW | (1992-04-15) 15 April 1992 (age 32) | Sheffield Wednesday | 2 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 14 | Conor Washington | CF | (1992-05-18) 18 May 1992 (age 32) | Rotherham United | 7 July 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 19 | Tyreece John-Jules | CF | (2001-02-14) 14 February 2001 (age 24) | Arsenal | 25 August 2023 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 25 | Dwight Gayle | CF | (1989-10-17) 17 October 1989 (age 35) | Stoke City | 19 February 2024 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 27 | Corey Blackett-Taylor | RW | (1997-09-23) 23 September 1997 (age 27) | Charlton Athletic | 22 January 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 43 | Tony Weston | CF | (2003-09-17) 17 September 2003 (age 21) | Rangers | 1 August 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 45 | Lennon Wheeldon | CF | | Academy | 1 July 2022 | — | 30 June 2024 |
| Out on loan |||||||||
| 39 | Dajaune Brown | CF | (2005-10-16) 16 October 2005 (age 19) | Academy | 1 July 2022 | — | 30 June 2026 |
* Includes all players who made at least one competitive appearance during the season

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred from | Fee |
| 1 July 2023 | LB | Callum Elder | Hull City | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | CB | Curtis Nelson | Blackpool | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | GK | Josh Vickers | Rotherham United | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | RM | Joe Ward | Peterborough United | Free Transfer |
| 7 July 2023 | CB | Ryan Bartley † | Crystal Palace | Free Transfer |
| 7 July 2023 | CB | Sonny Bradley | Luton Town | Free Transfer |
| 7 July 2023 | DM | Ben Radcliffe † | Burton Albion | Free Transfer |
| 7 July 2023 | CF | Conor Washington | Rotherham United | Undisclosed |
| 11 July 2023 | RB | Kane Wilson | Bristol City | Undisclosed |
| 18 July 2023 | CM | Bradley Johnson † | Milton Keynes Dons | Free Transfer |
| 1 August 2023 | AM | Charlie Lindsay † | Rangers | Free Transfer |
| 1 August 2023 | GK | Lewis Ridd † | Ipswich Town | Free Transfer |
| 1 August 2023 | CF | Tony Weston † | Rangers | Free Transfer |
| 7 August 2023 | CF | Martyn Waghorn | Coventry City | Free Transfer |
| 25 August 2023 | CM | Tyrese Fornah | Nottingham Forest | Undisclosed |
| 1 September 2023 | RM | Alex Gibson-Hammond † | Nottingham Forest | Free Transfer |
| 19 September 2023 | RB | Ryan Nyambe | Free agent | Free Transfer |
| 23 January 2024 | RW | Eno Nto † | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Free Transfer |
| 19 February 2024 | CF | Dwight Gayle | Free Agent | Free Transfer |
* ↑ Signed as an overage player-coach for Derby County's under-21 team
† Signed for Under-21s

### Out

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred to | Fee |
| 29 June 2023 | DM | Krystian Bielik | Birmingham City | Undisclosed |
| 30 June 2023 | CM | Osazee Aghatise | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | RB | Rhys Brailsford | Barwell | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | LB | Demico Burton | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | CB | James Chester | Barrow | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | CF | Bartosz Cybulski | King's Lynn Town | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | CB | Curtis Davies | Cheltenham Town | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | CM | Connor Dixon | Ilkeston Town | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | GK | Harrison Foulkes | Eastbourne Borough | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | LB | Will Grewal-Pollard | Alfreton Town | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | CM | Olamide Ibrahim | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | LB | Cian Kelly | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | AM | Sonny Blu Lo-Everton | Yeovil Town | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | CF | David McGoldrick | Notts County | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | GK | Alfie Roberts | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | CB | Harrison Solomon | UNH Wildcats | Free Transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | CB | Richard Stearman | Solihull Moors | Free Transfer |
| 11 July 2023 | CM | Jason Knight | Bristol City | Undisclosed |
| 1 February 2024 | DM | Max Bird | Bristol City | Undisclosed |

### Loaned in

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned from | Date until |
| 25 August 2023 | CF | Tyreece John-Jules | Arsenal | End of Season |
| 1 September 2023 | AM | Elliot Embleton | Sunderland | 10 January 2024 |
| 1 September 2023 | LB | Henry Jeffcott † | Arsenal | End of Season |
| 22 January 2024 | RW | Corey Blackett-Taylor | Charlton Athletic | End of Season |
| 31 January 2024 | CM | Ebou Adams | Cardiff City | End of Season |
| 1 February 2024 | DM | Max Bird | Bristol City | End of Season |
† Signed for Under-21s
* ↑ On 19 January, John-Jules' loan from Arsenal was extended until the end of season.
* ↑ On 10 January, Embleton's season long loan was terminated early by Derby.

### Loaned out

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned to | Date until |
| 5 July 2023 | RB | Kwaku Oduroh | Rochdale | 10 January 2024 |
| 3 August 2023 | CF | George Nunn | Mickleover | 2 October 2023 |
| 4 August 2023 | GK | Harry Evans | Coalville Town | 31 August 2023 |
| 21 September 2023 | CF | George Nunn | Braintree Town | 21 October 2023 |
| 21 September 2023 | CF | Owen Oseni | Nuneaton Borough | 1 January 2024 |
| 13 October 2023 | GK | Harry Evans | Barwell | 14 February 2024 |
| 2 November 2023 | CF | George Nunn | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 1 January 2024 |
| 14 November 2023 | CM | Jack Bates | Hastings United | 14 December 2023 |
| 21 November 2023 | RM | Alex Gibson-Hammond | Buxton | 1 January 2024 |
| 26 December 2023 | GK | Lewis Ridd | Mickleover | End of Season |
| 12 January 2024 | AM | Charlie Lindsay | Glentoran | End of Season |
| 18 January 2024 | RB | Callum Moore | Matlock Town | 15 February 2024 |
| 23 January 2024 | CF | Dajaune Brown | Gateshead | End of Season |
* ↑ On 10 January, Oduroh's season long loan was terminated early by Rochdale.
* ↑ On 1 September, Nunn's loan at Mickleover was extended by a further month.
* ↑ On 21 November, Oseni's loan at Nuneaton Borough was extended until 1 January 2024.
* ↑ On 19 January, Evans' loan at Barwell was extended by a further month.
* ↑ On 19 January, Ridd's loan at Mickleover was extended until the end of season.

## Pre-season and friendlies

On 19 May, Derby announced their first pre-season friendly, against Matlock Town. Less than a week later, a second fixture was confirmed against Stoke City to celebrate Craig Forsyth's association with the club. On June 1, a trip to face Chesterfield and a visit from Sheffield United was added to the pre-season calendar. A training camp in Alicante was also confirmed along with a fixture against Salford City.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Competitions
### Overall record

| Competition | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| League One | Matchday 1 | 2nd (promoted) | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 79 | 37 | +42 | 060.87 |
| FA Cup | First round | First round | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 000.00 |
| EFL Cup | First round | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 |
| EFL Trophy | Group stage | Round of 16 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 080.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | 54 | 32 | 9 | 13 | 93 | 47 | +46 | 059.26 |
Last updated: 27 April 2024 Source: Soccerway

### League One
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Portsmouth (C, P) | 46 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 78 | 41 | +37 | 97 | Promoted to EFL Championship |
| 2 | Derby County (P) | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 78 | 37 | +41 | 92 | Promoted to EFL Championship |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 86 | 51 | +35 | 87 | Qualified for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Peterborough United | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 89 | 61 | +28 | 84 | Qualified for League One play-offs |
| 5 | Oxford United (O, P) | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 79 | 56 | +23 | 77 | Qualified for League One play-offs |
| 6 | Barnsley | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 82 | 64 | +18 | 76 | Qualified for League One play-offs |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 27 April 2024. Source: Soccerway

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 7 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 18 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | W | L | W | W | L | D | W | D | W | D | L | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | L | W | W | D | L | W | W | D | W | W | L | L | W | W | W | W | L | W | D | D | W | W | W |
| Position | 14 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
* ↑ Matchday 7, vs Northampton Town (H), was postponed due to international call-ups.
* ↑ Matchday 18, vs Reading (A), was postponed due to international call-ups.
* ↑ Matchday 13, vs Charlton Athletic (H), was postponed due to international call-ups.

#### Matches

On 22 June, the EFL League One fixtures were released.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### FA Cup

Derby were drawn away to Crewe Alexandra in the first round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Cup

Derby were drawn at home to Blackpool in the first round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Trophy

In the group stage, Derby were drawn in Northern Group G alongside Lincoln City, Notts County and Wolverhampton Wanderers U21. They were then drawn at home to Fleetwood Town in the second round and Bradford City in the third round.
| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | L1 | Derby County | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 2 | L1 | Lincoln City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 3 | ACA | Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 3 | |
| 4 | L2 | Notts County | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 | |
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Statistics
### Goals record

    As of 27 April 2024
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | League One | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Trophy | Total |
| 1 | 9 | | FW | James Collins | 14 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 19 |
| 2 | 11 | | FW | Nathaniel Mendez-Laing | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | 7 | | FW | Tom Barkhuizen | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | 17 | | MF | Louie Sibley | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | 10 | | FW | Martyn Waghorn | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | 8 | | MF | Max Bird | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | | MF | Conor Hourihane | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | 5 | | DF | Sonny Bradley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 6 | | DF | Eiran Cashin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 3 | | DF | Craig Forsyth | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 25 | | FW | Dwight Gayle | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 14 | | FW | Conor Washington | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | | DF | Kane Wilson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 | 19 | | FW | Tyreece John-Jules | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | 35 | | DF | Curtis Nelson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | 23 | | DF | Joe Ward | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 17 | 32 | | MF | Ebou Adams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | 12 | | MF | Korey Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | 16 | | MF | Liam Thompson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | 43 | | FW | Tony Weston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 78 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 92 |